Mothers often place their infant children in high chairs when feeding them baby food or liquids. Some of the food or liquid falls onto the high chair or onto the floor, due for example to the baby hitting the spoon that the mother is using for feeding purposes.
The present invention relates to a mat structure that can be placed on the kitchen floor beneath the infant's highchair to catch (intercept) foods and liquids. The pad structure has a plan dimension larger than the plan dimension of the highchair, such that the mat structure extends laterally beyond the sides and front of the chair; food thrown or otherwise discharged beyond the chair confines will be caught by the mat structure without impinging against the floor surface. After the feeding operation food particles or liquids adhering to the infant or high chair can be swept or wiped so as to fall onto the pad structure surface.
The pad structure is formed by two self-sustaining rigid panels that are hingedly connected together along their adjoining edges. The mat structure can be placed in a partially folded upright condition on a kitchen sink, with the two panels having lateral edges thereof resting on the sink surface; the panels will then have a V-configuration in the top plan view, so that any food particles or liquid accumulations can be wiped from the panel surfaces into the sink. The pad structure is designed to be without cracks or crevices that could catch or trap food particles during the wiping operation.
The hinge connection between the two panels permits the panels to be folded flat against one another, to thus reduce the overall size of the mat structure when it is desired to store the mat structure, e.g. between the refrigerator and kitchen wall, or in a cupboard.